MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Building on the ninth 10-win season in program history, No. 16 West Virginia accepted a bid to the Russell Athletic Bowl to face unranked Miami on Dec. 28.
The game is slated for 5:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN from at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
The Hurricanes (8-4, 5-3 ACC) rebounded from a four-game midseason losing streak to win their last four games, including 51-28 over Pitt. There was hope among some Mountaineers fans for a holiday-style Backyard Brawl, but instead the Panthers are bound for the Pinstripe Bowl.
Coach Dana Holgorsen deemed his team worthy of a New Year’s Six bowl, but the Mountaineers weren’t even considered for the Alamo Bowl, which selected Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State.
West Virginia (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) can match the school record for single-season wins by beating Miami. The long-ago Big East rivals played every season from 1991 to 2003, with the Canes leading the series 16-3.
The Mountaineers previously played in Orlando in 2010, losing 23-7 to N.C. State in what became coach Bill Stewart’s final game.